1. Field of the Invention
Materials which are capable of controlling odour arising from certain organic matter. More particularly, materials are configured to control odours by using benign bacterial agents to consume and digest the organic matter which can otherwise lead to bad odours and to a method of manufacturing such odour control materials. The effect of the odour control materials is long lasting.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many instances where owing to deposits of organic matter on surfaces, offensive odours can arise through the presence of the organic matter and its decomposition. In fact, many materials utilized in household applications are susceptible to soiling by organic based material, which if allowed to remain, can give rise to malodours.
Deposits of organic materials on surfaces may also give rise to other concerns. Many of the organic materials, such as bodily fluids like sweat, blood and saliva, organic waste such as feces and urine, spilt food such as syrup and eggs, and beverages such as milk, wine and soft drinks etc., are capable of supporting bacterial growth. Some of the bacteria that may grow as a result of a deposit of organic material may give rise to odour due to decomposition and incomplete digestion of the organic material. Some of the bacteria may also have the potential of causing disease in persons exposed to them.
In order to control/reduce odours, there have been attempts to reduce the number of bacteria present on surfaces by utilizing various anti-microbial agents. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,110,504 and 5,024,840, which describe applying anti-microbial agents to carpet in a manner similar to the way stain blockers are applied to carpet. However, the use of anti-microbials raises concerns such as the potential that some of the bacteria may become resistant to effects of the anti-microbials, and the release of such anti-microbials into the environment may have a detrimental effect on the environment.
Many bacterial and fungal genera are known for use in odour control due to their capability for producing enzymes that are capable of breaking down organic material. Several such bacterial genera such as Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Enterobacter, Streptococcus, Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter, Pseudomonas, Alcaligens and Klebsiella amongst others are known for use in such applications, with Bacillus and Lactobacillus sp. being the most prevalent in use in various applications.
For example, European Patent Application No. 732,396 describes use of Bacillus sp. for odour control of feedstuffs used in farming and JP Patent Application No. 7-031,668 describes its use for odour control of toilets, shoe boxes and pet litter. Other uses of Bacillus for odour control baby diapers and wallpaper are described in JP Patent Application Nos. 2-2-121,665 and 3-059,199 respectively. Preparations of sporulated Bacillus in a form suitable for spraying or otherwise distributing on a deposit, especially of pet urine and feces, on a carpet for controlling odour are presently marketed by The Bramton Company of Dallas, Tex. under the trademark OUTRIGHT. Once the deposit is deodorized, the bacteria are depleted from the site or disposed of along with the deodorized material. In the event of a new deposit of organic material on the carpet, the treatment must be repeated.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,974,691 and 7,314,748 disclose methods for controlling odour associated with spills of organic material which involve applying to surfaces, including carpet, plastic and wood, a preparation of dormant bacteria, which when activated are effective to control odours. The dormant bacterial preparation is adhered to the surface, such that when the treated surface is exposed to organic material which can cause odours, the dormant bacteria are capable of becoming active and digest the organic material.
Although, the methods described in the U.S. '691 and '748 patents are effective for surface treating fibrous materials, including carpet, batting used for mattresses, pillows and pads, as well as other relatively porous surfaces encountered in the household or commercial environment, semiporous surfaces such as wood and nonporous surfaces such as plastic, they are not effective in treating non-fibrous materials that are subjected to surface abrasion. Therefore, there remains a need to counteract the effects of deposits of organic material, and especially for controlling odour associated with the deposits, including in non-fibrous materials such as thermoplastics, where the effects of the odour control are preventative and long lasting, even in high wear applications.
Other patent documents of general interest include: Canadian Pat. Document Nos. 2,243,011 and 2,369,469; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,636,927, 3,720,606, 3,720,606, 3,892,846, 3,941,090, 4,465,019, 4,607,594, 4,680,212, 4,704,989, 4,839,212, 4,844,010, 4,925,707, 4,946,672, 5,154,594, 5,683,575, 5,741,553, 5,863,882, 6,265,191, 6,325,934, 6,967,025, 7,507,402, 7,795,119; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2003/0003138, 2003/0012810, 2003/0089381, 2003/0126688, 2008/0075794 and 2012/0114579; PCT Intl Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 96/19611, 97/25865, 99/46350, 00/03752, 00/63338, 02/33035, 03/056096, 03/064755; Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 0039522, 0076447, 0476915, 0878202, and 1096959; U.K. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2362814; Japanese Pat. Document Nos. 5-153971, 7-222790, and 9-28377; Czechoslovakian Pat. Document No. CS246119; and Soviet Union Pat. Document No. SU1091889.
Other non-patent documents of general interest include:                Brochure for BI-CHEM® BIOCLEAN Carpet Cleaner;        Brochure for BI-CHEM® GC 600L;        Brochure for BI-CHEM® MSB 4X;        Chemical Abstracts, vol. 108, No. 19, May 1998, Abstract No. 169120y; XP002122802;        CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS, vol. 108, no. 20, May 1998 (1998-05) Columbus, Ohio, US; abstract no. 169120y, XP002122802 & CS 246 119 A (DOSTAL JAROSLAV; WEST MIROSLAV) 16 Oct. 1986 (1986-10-16);        DATABASE WPI Section Ch, Week 199715 Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; Class A97, AN 1997-159089 XP002122803 & JP 09 028377 A (AZUMA K), 4 Feb. 1997 (1997-02-04);        Database WPI, Week 199329, Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; An 1993-231489; XP002210738 Deodorise Supress Excretion Bad Smell Contain Bacillus Magaterium Effect Range Malodorous Smell;        Hans G. Schegel et al., General Microbiology, 7.sup.th ed., p. 83 (1993);        Response to Summons in Opposition by Novozymes Biologicals, Inc. in European Patent No. 1 096 959 B1 with attached Declaration and Exhibits (139 pages) (August 2005); and        XP002210738 Deodorise Supress Excretion Bad Smell Contain Bacillus megaterium Effect Range Malodorous Smell.        